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Consumers who bypass meter would pay N450,000 fine-NERC

Electricity
consumers who bypass their meters will be forced to pay up to N450,000 as fine,
the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission has declared.

According to
NERC, financial sanctions ranging from N50,000 to N450,000 for meter bypass by
power consumers have been drafted by it and have been endorsed by the 11
electricity distribution companies operating in the country.

It was
gathered that NERC’s decision was also endorsed by the Federal Government
through the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola.

This is
coming as the regulator revealed that it was perfecting plans to deploy prepaid
meters in government’s Ministries, Departments and Agencies in order to avert
future debt accumulation by the MDAs.

The Vice
Chairman, NERC, Sanusi Garba, while speaking on the prepaid meter issues raised
in the zone of the Jos Electricity Distribution Company, told Fashola and other
participants at the last monthly meeting of operators in the sector that the
amount being charged as financial sanctions depended on the class of power
consumer.

Garba’s
disclosures were captured in the minutes of the 19th monthly power sector
meeting, obtained by our correspondent from the Federal Ministry of Power,
Works and Housing in Abuja on Monday, as operators in the sector gear up for
the next meeting this month.

The minutes
read in part, “The vice chair, NERC (Garba), stated that the commission’s order
on financial sanctions on meter bypass was ready for signature. He noted that
the financial sanctions on meter bypass ranged from N50,000 to N450,000,
depending on the class of customer.

“He stated
that the order was made in consultation with the Discos and that the commission
would hold a meeting with the relevant stakeholders to discuss issues
surrounding eligible customer declaration, metering, review of the MYTO
methodology and regulations on business continuity.”

The minutes
noted that Fashola advised NERC to be more accommodating during consultation
and “advised the commission to place the highest level of sanctions on meter
bypass to deter customers from such act.”

“He (Fashola)
advised the Discos to prosecute offenders at the municipal level by liaising
with the respective state governments,” it added.

The minutes
added that all queries from the Discos on the MDA debts were answered in a memo
to the Federal Executive Council, which was forwarded to the Permanent
Secretary of the power arm of the FMPWH.

Fashola then
suggested that payments should be made on undisputed claims, while the disputed
MDA debts were reconciled.

“The
suggestion was unanimously accepted,” the minutes added.

Garba
informed the meeting that plans were underway by the NERC to deploy prepaid
meters in government’s MDAs to avert future debt accumulation, as the meeting
resolved that the Discos should bear the cost of verifying the remaining
disputed MDA debts for a period of one to two months.

The Market
Operator reported that Eko and Yola Discos made 100 per cent payment for
services rendered in the month of July, as participants applauded both firms for
the feat.

The NERC
vice chairman also informed the meeting that the commission wanted to meet the
minister to discuss tariff issue for some classes of customers.

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